Manifest Destiny
by FlannelWarrior
Summary: Princess Bubblegum has finally decided to start an expansion of the Candy Kingdom into the badlands of Ooo. She calls on Finn, Jake, and Marceline to help her build an empire. But, what are her true reasons for this decision, and what unintended consequences may it have?
1. Eternal Empire

**A/N: First of all, if you're reading this, thank you so much! I hope you enjoy it. It's been a while since I've attempted writing anything of this scale, so I hope you'll excuse any rustiness. In any event, the summary should give you a good idea of where the story is going. I'd also like to note that each chapter will be done from a different character's point of view (similar to the "Song of Ice and Fire" series). Thanks again for reading, and enjoy!**

**I don't own Adventure Time, or any of the characters.**

"This is gonna be the best adventure EVER!"

Finn could hardly contain his excitement. In truth, the 15-year-old boy never tended to wear his passion anywhere but his sleeve, but something felt different about today. There was just something in the way that Peebles had talked about the mission that got him all jazzed up. Or maybe it was just gas from breakfast…he couldn't be sure.

"Jake are you ready to go yet?" Finn was almost done packing the most important supplies: snacks. _Sandwiches for me, sandwiches for Jake…did PB say something about Marceline coming along? Maybe I ought to bring something red…_

Finn could see the late-morning sunlight begin to shine through the shades of the treehouse, casting a gentle light upon the carpet over which he currently occupied himself. Scanning his eyes around the large den he was situated in, he went through the mental checklist that he had come to rely on over the years. _Let's see…nothing left on the couch, nothing left in the kitchen, and my sword…_Situated above the room's assortment of wooden furniture was an empty sword rack. Finn started for a moment, until he felt something squirm around his arm. _Oh, that's right: grass sword. Radical!_

"Calm down, man. We don't want to come back from an adventure and have a pile of dirty dishes," came the response from the kitchen. Finn could hear the run of the faucet as his brother finished up washing the dishes they had used for breakfast.

"Well, can't we just get BMO to do it?" Finn had finally finished packing and was making for the front door. In the end, he decided against packing anything for Marceline; she'd probably have her own stuff if she decided to come along. _Besides, I might accidentally bring something green again…_

"I dunno man…remember the last time? When we left BMO alone with dishes, half of them ended up broken and he painted some weird faces on the other half."

"It was to free their souls!" BMO had climbed up into the main room, "But, now they are better."

"I'm tellin you man, weeeeeeird stuff while we're gone," said Jake as he walked out of the kitchen. "Anyway, I'm all done the dishes, so we can go if you're-"

"Awwwwwwww YEAH." Finn grabbed Jake as he cut him off, forgoing the ladder to the lower floor and jumping down instead. It would take a little while to get over to the Candy Kingdom, and he couldn't wait to hear more about the mission they were about to go on. Running through piles of gold and various other loot, Finn made his way to the front door. Bursting through the old wooden portal, the boy was greeted by familiar emerald hills beneath an inviting azure sky. _The perfect day for an adventure!_

"Whoa whoa whoa dude, what's got you so excited?" Jake had finally managed to wrest his hand free of Finn's excited grasp, though not before his arm had been stretched a significant distance, "I mean, this isn't exactly the first mission PB has ever sent us on. It hasn't even been a long time since she asked us to do something."

"I…I'm not sure," Finn responded, slowing down slightly, but still walking briskly in the direction of the Candy Kingdom, "just a feeling I have."

"Are you sure that's not just gas from breakfast?" the dog responded.

"Nah, normally when I have gas I can't move this fast."

"Yeah, I guess that's true. Still though, I haven't seen you this pumped about an adventure in a long time."

"Ha ha, yeah, I guess you're right!" Finn thought about some of the things they had been asked to do over the past few months. A few simple deliveries, some soil samples from different parts of Ooo, babysitting some candy kids…nothing to really get the adventurer's spirit going. Really, there was nothing about what Prubbles had actually _said_ that would lead anyone to believe the mission was anything special, but there was an unmistakable feeling in Finn's gut. More often than not, his gut was right. At least when it came to adventure.

"Hey Jake, do you think you can get us to the castle a little bit faster?" Finn turned to ask his companion.

"Sure thing, buddy," came the response. Before long, the boy was on the back of a dog roughly twenty times his size, crossing the plains of Ooo with relative ease. The Candy Castle soon came into view, its spire thrusting up in the distance, forming a familiar skyline on the horizon. Grinning, Finn leaned forward in anticipation, urging Jake onward with the heels of his shoes.

The Candy Kingdom appeared to be the same as ever: long candy streets stretched past quiet candy houses, candy people milling about their everyday tasks. It was the picture of peace and simplicity that Finn had come to expect. While he was an adventurer to the core, Finn was always comforted by the fact that the dangers he faced elsewhere rarely made their way inside the sugary walls of the kingdom. Passing by gum drops and a few loitering banana guards, the two made their way towards the castle. Before long, Finn and Jake had reached the entrance, and were greeted by a familiar face.

"Greetings, Jake the Dog and Finn the Human," Peppermint Butler gave a polite bow as he spoke, "M'lady awaits your arrival."

"Awesome! Let's go!" Finn ran off to the audience chamber, leaving Jake and Peppermint Butler in his wake.

"Yo, man. Wait for me!" Jake called out from behind.

Finn could hear Jake's footsteps closing in behind him as he burst open the doors to the throne room. The room was surprisingly empty, save for the princess herself and a few hooded figures. Finn took a momentary pause in the doorway to look over the others. _Hmm, that's strange, _he thought, inspecting the cloaked band, _I don't think I've ever seen them before._ The cloaks were six in total, and had the general size and shape of candy people. Still, there was something different about them, something Finn couldn't quite put his finger on.

While Finn stood contemplating the scene, Jake came up beside him.

"Yo Princess, we're here!" Jake called out, snapping Finn back from his thoughts.

Princess Bubblegum looked up from her conversation with the strangers and gave a nod. "Finn, Jake. Thank you for coming," she said as she walked towards the duo, "We can get started soon now."

The pink princess led Finn and Jake towards the center of the throne room. Once again, Finn found himself by the cloaked assembly. The six had turned to follow the movements of the other three, but all that was visible were the shadows the cowls cast over their faces. The boy made a face, and decided that those things were really starting to weird him out. "Hey Peebs, what's up with those guys over there?"

Princess Bubblegum seemed to barely notice the question as she ascended to her throne. "Oh, them? I'll explain in a minute." She looked around the chamber like she was still waiting for someone. Finn couldn't help but notice that she seemed more distracted than usual. Her face was slightly than he remembered, and her eyes seemed listless, as if she had been losing sleep. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that she was nervous about something.

Before Finn had a chance to voice any of his concerns, the lights in the palace blinked and went dim. One by one, the curtains in the throne room shut, allowing only the slightest bit of light to pass through into the area. A chill ran through the room, and Finn swore he could feel something brush past him. As if by instinct, the coil of grass around Finn's arm manifested itself into a blade, its owner similarly preparing himself for a battle.

"Princess, look out!" Finn yelled. But before he could move an inch, the dim outline of the princess could be seen flying away from her throne, and landing ungraciously on the ground a few feet away. Finn stepped forward. "Who are you?" He demanded.

A high-pitched laugh echoed throughout the hall. Finn had begun to tense up, but upon hearing the laughter he relaxed his stance. The lights in the throne room began to slowly come back up, and Finn started to laugh as the grass blade once more coiled around his arm. "Marceline!"

"Wow, you dweebs really looked petrified," came a voice. Torn jeans and a flannel shirt appeared to hover effortlessly above Princess Bubblegum's throne as the vampire queen phased back into the physical plane. "I thought I had taught you better than that."

"Aww, we weren't scared," replied Jake, his head poking out from underneath Finn's hat. "You just caught us by surprise is all."

"Yeah, whatever," Marceline retorted, floating down towards the rest of the group, "So PB, what's this all about?"

Princess Bubblegum quietly stood up and brushed herself off. Walking back over to her throne, she sat down and addressed the three in front of her, "Finn, Jake, Marceline, I'm glad you're here."

Finn could tell he wasn't the only one in the room who was shocked by the princess's composure. Normally when Marceline embarrassed her in public, she at least turned a different shade of pink. Even Marceline seemed surprised, or at the very least mildly disappointed, that her tricks failed to elicit a rise out of the princess. _Something is definitely donking with the princess right now. I wonder what it could be._

The princess continued, "I know you are all probably wondering why I summoned you here today." She stood up and began to pace in front of her throne, "Well, the truth is, I have a mission for you. In fact, it might be the most important task I've asked anyone to do _ever._"

_I knew it! _Finn began to squirm back and forth, barely able to contain his excitement. For a moment, he forgot how weird the princess had been acting, and was overcome with a lust for adventure.

"Whoa, I don't remember volunteering to be one of your lackeys," Marceline's face widened into a fanged grimace, folding her arms. "Aren't the wonder twins here normally enough for whatever errands you need run?"

"Yes, but this is different," Bubblegum replied, stopping to address Marceline. "You're the only other one who…that doesn't matter right now." The princess broke her gaze and resumed her pacing, leaving Marceline with a quizzical expression, "Look, this is really important, and I think you owe me. Remember Hambo?"

Marceline's pale skin flushed crimson, and she looked down at the floor. "Ugh, fine. What's the deal?"

"Right," continued Bubblegum, "As I'm sure all of you are aware, I have been scouting areas throughout Ooo for potential candy colonization sites. The Candy Kingdom is doing just fine, but we need to expand our civilization if we ever hope to heal the scars left by the Mushroom War. Well, after months of searching, I'm happy to say that I think I've finally found the perfect spot."

If the princess was actually happy, Finn couldn't really see it on her face. Then again, Prubs was never exactly an easy one to read. Something about being older than he was, probably. _I'm sure she's fine,_ Finn thought to himself, _Besides, how could _anyone_ be upset about the biggest adventure ever!?_

Bubblegum walked over to the rest of the group, spreading a map out across the floor. The parchment was clearly a map of Ooo, with certain locations circled. Finn, Jake, and Marceline leaned in as the princess began to explain.

"Here are the places we've taken soil samples from," she explained, pointing to the circles, "I've analyzed the samples, and I think we can rule out here, here, and here." Princess Bubblegum motioned to three places on the map. "However, I have calculated our odds of success here, and I think it's the place to go." She pointed to a spot in the middle of the badlands. Finn thought he could remember collecting samples there, but everything had kind of run together since the incident with James.

_James…_Finn still hadn't forgotten the visit to the Desert of Wonders. Sure, PB had made a new James, but the memory of the old one, weird as he was, still haunted him. How could he have been so helpless that the only chance was for PB to sacrifice the life of someone else? He was the hero…if anyone was gonna sacrifice themselves, it should have been him. Finn closed his eyes and clinched his fist. _This time, I'll be prepared._

Princess Bubblegum's voice forced Finn back into the moment. "So, I need you guys, my three most trusted buds, to help me start a colony there."

"_Start_ a colony?" the three questioned in unison.

"Yes, that's correct," Bubblegum replied, not seeming bothered by the incredulous looks on the faces of her three friends.

"How on Ooo are we supposed to do _that_?" Marceline asked. Finn began to wonder if whatever Marcy owed PB would be enough to get her to come with. He, on the other hand, was every bit as excited as he was before. Any misgivings he had had about James were dissolved when Finn remembered the words "important," task," and "ever" had been used together in the same sentence. The fact that he had no idea how to do that thing she just asked only served to make it more of an adventure.

"Don't worry, that's why I made these guys," said the princess. As if on cue, the hooded figures walked over and stood in front of the throne. "Guys, I want you to meet the colony crew."

The six figures removed their hoods, revealing the faces hidden underneath the cowls. The twelve white eyes that stared toward Finn were identical in every way he could see. The new candy people appeared to be chocolate cookies sandwiching some sort of white filling, and were indistinguishable from each other. The only thing each of the colony crew had in its possession, aside from a cloak, was a brown backpack. Without the slightest shift, the six stood still as soldiers, seemingly seeing nothing.

"I created the colony crew for the express purpose of expanding my empire," the princess said, "Now that we have the Spoon of Prosperity, we have the resources to colonize a new area without threat of using up the supplies right here in the kingdom. These guys were made with bits of my own DNA, so they know exactly what to do to start a new colony."

"So….why do _we_ need to go?" Jake asked.

"Unfortunately, these little guys are scientists, not fighters, so I need you all to protect them," Bubblegum responded.

"All right, escort quest!" Finn exclaimed. Escort quests were always exciting, especially when he got to go with a premade party.

"Do these guys even talk?" Marceline asked.

"No," replied Bubblegum, "I specifically designed them not to talk, so they can't reveal any secrets of candy development. If such knowledge fell into wrong hands, it could be disastrous."

"All right, sounds good," said Finn. He hadn't really heard anything past "escort quest," and was tired of the instructions. He turned towards Jake and Marceline, who were still studying the map that PB had laid out. Suddenly, Marceline jerked back with a start, a confused look on her face. She turned to face the princess.

"Hold on a second, isn't this the same place where-"

"No," Bubblegum cut off the vampire. The two locked eyes for a moment, but Marceline eventually looked away. "It's a wasteland that hasn't been inhabited in quite some time," PB finished quietly. Marceline scowled, but made no move to respond. _Whatever PB did for Marceline must have been a super big deal._

"Anyway, I need you guys to escort the colony crew to this site, and protect them while they establish a colony," Bubblegum continued, "They'll know when it's ready, and then you can contact me with the communicator crystal. The Spoon of Prosperity should keep you supplied until then."

"This sounds like an awful lot…are you sure we're qualified?" Jake asked, still looking over the map, "I mean, don't _you_ normally come with us on stuff like this?"

"I have…other stuff…to do." Princess Bubblegum sounded even more uncomfortable than before. Still, Finn had enough excitement for all four of them.

"C'mon Jake, it'll be fun! We've done tons of escort missions before; we'll even have Marceline with us! Let's get going!"

"Ok man, if you say so," Jake responded, and headed towards the door. While the princess was talking, the colony crew had also made its way to the exit of the chamber. Silently, Marceline floated towards the assembling company. She stopped and looked back at Finn, then over to PB. Finn thought Marceline would still be upset about Bubblegum cutting her off, but she looked more…concerned than angry. It wasn't an expression he was used to seeing on the vampire queen. He looked up at Bubblegum, who was now standing beside him.

_She almost looks sad. Do the two of them know something?_

Princess Bubblegum shifted her gaze towards the windows. The curtains were still drawn to keep the sunlight off of Marceline, but she looked at them as if she could see through the fabric to contemplate the lands beyond.

"Finn, I…" she started, putting her hand on the young boy's shoulder. "This journey will be dangerous, and-"

"Say no more, Princess!" Finn responded, taking Bubblegum's hand in his while turning towards her. _No matter what Peebs and Marceline are all worked up about, an adventure is an adventure! Can't let her be all worried about me._

"We'll definitely protect your colonization peeps."

The princess's face creased into the first smile Finn had seen from her all day. Taking her hands back, she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. Finn blushed and let loose a nervous giggle.

"Just come back safe, hero," Bubblegum implored

"You know it!" Finn responded, and turned to join the rest of the group.

**A/N: So that's chapter 1! I know it starts out kind of slow, but I hope I gave you all enough to whet your appetite! Please consider leaving a review, and thanks again for reading!**

**In case you were wondering, the next chapter will be from Bubblegum's POV. Maybe we'll even find out why she was acting all weird and junk!**


	2. Reluctant Duty

**A/N: Well, I wasn't exactly expecting to get another entire chapter done today...but I accidentally the whole thing. This won't be a regular occurrence, I assure you, but I had a couple of days off, and I already had the first two chapters pretty well fleshed out before I even started writing. Thank you to those that read/reviewed/followed the first chapter; it made me even more motivated to give you something that gives a better look at the action to look forward to (trust me, I have several twists and turns planned along the way). Enjoy!**

**I still in no way, shape, or form own Adventure Time or any of its characters.**

The pink princess sighed as she flopped onto her bed; it had been a tough day. _More like a tough couple of months_, she thought to herself as she stared at the ceiling.

It had all begun when she had managed to pinpoint the location of the Spoon of Prosperity. Well, that wasn't exactly correct; if she was completely honest with herself, this course had set itself into motion hundreds of years earlier. Still, it was crucial to her plans_._ With the Spoon, the expansion of the Candy Kingdom was finally feasible: She could supply an extended expedition without draining resources from the city's current citizens. _I may not be around forever, _she mused, _but we haven't come far enough for me to be comfortable. Not yet._

Though her goal was the expansion of what she hoped would truly be an eternal empire, her motives were far from selfish. Princess Bubblegum hadn't been around quite as long as, say, Marceline, but she still vividly remembered the world before her Candy Kingdom. _It was a world that reeked of death,_ she remembered. _Toxic rivers crisscrossed a barren countryside dotted with hundreds of rotted and decaying trees. A nightmare barely more welcoming than the Nightosphere itself._ It was a world that rejected the very notion of life, and yet somehow she had been born of that landscape.

Her earliest memories were those of loneliness; she had her parents, but a pile of sentient pink goo was never much for comfort or company. The loneliness was what first inspired the princess to make her children: the candy people. As she grew, though, so too did her sense of purpose. Simply making the candy people was a bandage, at best; to truly heal the land, to make sure no one else ever felt that kind of isolation, she needed to do more. Much more. The only cure for the death that plagued Ooo was to fill it with life. Thus, the Candy Kingdom was founded.

Princess Bubblegum couldn't help but be pleased with herself; despite all the odds, her city continued to thrive, and, thanks to the help of heroes like Billy and Finn, was a bastion of relative safety for all living creatures. Her eyes still fixed to the roof, the princess let out a contended sigh. Just as soon as she allowed herself to feel victorious, however, she began to frown.

_If the ends are so noble, why do I feel this way?_

Whatever her successes in the past had been, the princess couldn't allow herself to rest until she found a way to fill all of Ooo with life. She was thankful that, in places like the Fire Kingdom and the forests, life had sprung up of its own accord, but the badlands were still extensive and barren. _Not to mention just a bit creepy_.

And so, when she had found the Spoon, she was elated to begin the first expansion since the founding of the kingdom. The plan was to take things slow; careful planning, sampling, and experimentation were the keys to a successful colonization. Besides, this time the threats to establishing a living settlement were not nearly as severe as they had been hundreds of years ago: no Bath Boy Gang, no Lich, and no one had seen any mutants in years. The biggest threat was probably the Ice King, and he was, at his most dangerous, an idiot with a magic crown. Once a suitable site had been found, she would lead a crew of trusted candy people to begin construction herself, and would be able to travel back and forth between the colony site and the kingdom. No variables would be left on the table, and everything would be carried out with the utmost scientific accuracy. It would be easy.

That is, it _would_ _have_ been easy, but the expedition changed everything.

The first few samples from the badlands that Bubblegum had had brought back to her were not precisely what she had hoped for; many still contained high levels of radiation. While unexpected, she had to admit it was not entirely unprecedented. She had thought that the centuries would have allowed for a greater extent of radioactive decay, but it was possible that her assumptions on the initial amount of radioactive material had been errant. At that point, she didn't really think there was anything to worry about. Besides, she had made an entire toxic river benign before, so she was confident that she could deal with any residual radiation. Still, it couldn't hurt to check. So, Princess Bubblegum decided she would accompany Finn, Jake, and James on the next expedition.

Unfortunately, instead of alleviating her anxiety, the venture confirmed her worst fears.

To Finn and Jake, the oozing mutants that rose from the desert sands like zombies were just another monster that they could slay. And, had there not been so many of them, she was fairly confident that they could have dealt with them. No, the monsters themselves were not what had worried the princess. More than a reminder of an ancient evil, the very existence of the monsters implied that the death and decay that once ruled Ooo had not completely lost its grip on the land. The radioactivity she had detected was not just a remnant of times long past, but the manifestation of a blight that continued to thrive in the badlands.

_And if those things are still kicking, _Princess Bubblegum shuddered, _then there's no telling what else-_

"M'lady?" The princess's thoughts were interrupted by a light knock on her door. Sitting up and adjusting the creases in her long pink gown, Bubblegum responded.

"Come in."

The door came ajar, admitting the round figure of Peppermint Butler carrying a small tray. "M'lady," he continued, "you looked like you had quite a bit on your mind earlier, so I thought I might bring you some tea to ease your thoughts."

The princess couldn't help but smile at the devotion of her butler as she reached to pour herself a drink. _If only he knew the cost at which devotion to me comes_.

"Princess, are you sure you're feeling all right?" Peppermint Butler inquired, setting the tray down on a nightstand, "I usually only see you this way after working for multiple days in the lab."

"I'm fine. Please, don't worry about me," came the princess's response.

It was a lie. Then again, Peppermint Butler tended to know much more than he let on, so she suspected he knew it, too. In actuality, the princess hadn't been getting much sleep lately, but it had only lately been because she was performing experiments. Her insomnia began weeks earlier, shortly after the incident with James.

While her inability to locate the Spoon of Prosperity was certainly one of the main reasons the princess had been delaying her plans for expansion, she could not say it was the only reason for her waiting. Truthfully, she had perhaps been too slow in her colonization efforts, trusting that the radioactive nightmare caused by the Mushroom War would naturally decay over time. Everything she knew about radiation suggested that this would be the case, but she had realized the error in this attitude upon once more seeing the hollow, empty visages of the mutants she had first encountered all those years ago. She had assumed that the toxic radiation acted as all other forms of nuclear radiation: the simple deterioration of an atomic nucleus via the process of shedding alpha or beta particles or gamma waves that would eventually drop to nonhazardous levels. However, this radiation was different; it was _alive_. Instead of a radioactive decay, whatever was still alive in the badlands was some sort of radioactive _growth_. She admitted that it should have been obvious that living radiation would follow different natural laws than those that governed the radiation of elemental molecules, but she had been too confident in herself to consider it.

_And now I've let it fester unchecked for centuries_, she thought to herself with a sigh.

"Eh…Princess, if I may be so bold," said Peppermint Butler, who looked increasingly uncomfortable, no doubt due to Bubblegum's obvious distress, "You needn't worry about Finn, Jake, and Marceline. Finn and Jake are seasoned adventurers, and there's not much that can hurt Marceline besides direct sunlight."

He had a point, of course. Statistically, there was not a trio in Ooo who was more qualified for the job, which was precisely why she had chosen them. _But that doesn't necessarily mean they _can_ accomplish it_, she knew. _It just means that if they can't do it, no one can._

Her first thought after the trip to the Desert of Wonders had been to immediately move to start the new colony herself, along with Finn, Jake, and select few qualified candy-people; after seeing first-hand just what sort of thing was going on in the badlands, she knew that she couldn't wait any longer. Too much longer, and the badlands would never be able to be colonized. There was no way of knowing if the mutants would be satisfied to stay within their current borders, either, and the princess of the Candy Kingdom could not take that risk.

The more she looked into potential sites, however, the more discouraged she became. What had started as a few well-defined variables had quickly deteriorated into a turbulent chaos upon the revelation that the mutants still thrived. With all this time to evolve, there was no telling what the remnants of the Mushroom War's evil had managed to spawn. This, unfortunately, meant she couldn't personally oversee the colonization: She needed access to all the equipment of her kingdom in order to deal with the new data she was sure to obtain. At the same time, it meant that she would need to rely on Finn more than ever.

_Finn…_

She looked out her window, towards the tree house that she had been to so often over the past few years. This wouldn't be the first time she had needed the young boy's help on a mission and, Glob-willing, it wouldn't be the last. But, this time was different. For every other mission, she could plan down to almost the tiniest detail. Eventualities were taken into account, as were Finn's tendencies and abilities. She had never sent him on a mission of which she was not entirely confident in his success, with the possible exception of the Lich incident. She shuddered at the memory. _Even then, at least he had Billy's glove and the sweater, _she reflected somberly. _This time I've sent him into a danger I know almost nothing about, with only two friends and a few scientists._

She knew it wouldn't have mattered to him even if he had been privy to all the details, but that made her feel even more guilty. _His loyalty to me might get him killed, and he'd do it with a smile on his face._ The princess grimaced at the thought. Unquestioning loyalty was not something that usually bothered her; it was a natural consequence of being the mother and creator of an entire race of beings. But she hadn't created Finn, and she couldn't bring him back if the unthinkable happened.

_I wouldn't even know how to begin replacing someone like him_, she thought to herself. She had considered telling Finn of all the dangers of the journey, but for some reason she just couldn't bring herself to do it. If he was going to do it anyway, and she knew he would, she at least wanted to spare him the grim outlook. To watch him knowingly walk into that kind of peril would have been too much. Even if it wasn't the kind of romantic affection he was looking for, Princess Bubblegum really and truly loved Finn.

At the very least, if she couldn't go with him, she was going to make sure he didn't go alone. Jake was a given; the brothers were inseparable, and the dog's powers were certain to come in handy. But, Bubblegum knew that the two of them wouldn't be enough, not this time. She needed someone who knew almost as much about the kind of enemy they were up against, someone else who could protect Finn when he inevitably overextended himself. She needed Marceline.

Thinking of Marceline made her feel even worse. _What kind of friend holds a favor over another's head like that?_ she thought, remembering their visit to the Sky Witch. She had almost lost her nerve altogether when she and Marceline met eyes right before the group left. _She knows_, Bubblegum had thought after seeing the look of concern in the eyes of a girl who prided herself upon caring for very little.

_She knows what she's getting into, and she knows it's where-_ Bubblegum shook her head. Unfounded speculation was not her way, and there was no getting around the fact that Marceline's presence was vital for the mission to have any chance of success. Marceline was even older than she was, and had more experience surviving among the mutants with far fewer resources. Not to mention she was one of the most powerful creatures in Ooo, when she felt like it was worth the trouble. If Finn and Jake had any chance of protecting the colony crew, they would need Marceline. Her kingdom had to come before her own feelings. Reluctant as she was to coerce the vampire queen into the job, it was the only option. _I had no choice_, she frowned.

_I had no choice, but I _can _choose not to let that hold me back._

Princess Bubblegum placed the cup she had been given, still half-full, back onto the tray. Standing up, she addressed the servant still obediently waiting by her bedside.

"Peppermint Butler."

"Yes, Princess?" the candy man replied as he began to clean up the dishes he had brought in.

"I'm going to be in my lab until further notice. I'm to be interrupted only in the case of an absolute emergency, got it?"

"Understood, your highness," said the butler as he headed for the door.

Immediately, the princess headed for her lab. She may have had to use her friends, she may feel like dirt, but she wasn't about to sit idly by and mope about it. Amidst all the uncertainty she had been struggling with over the past months, there was one thing she _was_ sure of: Science was the answer. The colony crew was a good start, but there was a strong chance that her friends would need a lot more help before their adventure was over. If they needed something, she wasn't going to be empty-handed.

When she got to her desk, she noticed a sheet of paper that had been left lying amidst her various instruments. She frowned at the parchment, recalling the conversation she had moments ago.

_"I have calculated our odds of success here, and I think it's the place to go."_

It hadn't been a complete lie. She had calculated the current odds of success, and she still believed where she had sent them was the place to go. "I think we can do better than that," she said, tossing the paper in a trashcan. The sheet didn't have much on it, save for a few scribbled calculations incomprehensible to anyone but the princess, and an underlined value that read "1%."

**A/N: I hope this answered a few questions you guys had after chapter 1, though not ****_too_**** many, because that would be no fun. I also hope it was interesting to see things from PB's point of view! My hope is to get a chapter up once a week from here on out, but we'll see how that goes once I get busy again. Thank you again for reading, and please let me know what you think!**


	3. Ageless Evil

**A/N: A huge thank you again to everyone that has read and reviewed this so far! It means so much to know that people are interested in what's going to happen, and it makes me even more excited to continue writing. This chapter took a while to put up because I took some time to outline the entire story; I'm happy to say that I'm pretty confident going forward with this, and I hope you guys will stick with me!**

**I don't own Adventure Time or any of its characters.**

The countryside of Ooo was bathed in an early-afternoon sunlight as the group of nine travelers made their way southeast towards the waste of the badlands. The trees that populated the area surrounding the Candy Kingdom had gradually thinned out after a few days of travel, giving way to the seemingly endless sea of green that was the grasslands. For the most part, the group walked in single file: Finn and Jake led the troupe, with the six silent scientists occupying the middle. Marceline, who had not been particularly pleased about the decision to travel by daylight, floated at the rear of the group, her long black hair covered by a familiar sunhat.

When the nine had set out from the Candy Kingdom, Jake was concerned; Princess Bubblegum had been acting pretty weird about the whole thing, and their last trip to the badlands had left a bad taste in his mouth. _Not to mention we didn't pack nearly enough snacks for this long of a journey_. Despite these reservations, Jake knew that saying anything would be pointless once he saw the look in Finn's eyes. He'd seen that look plenty of times before, and he wasn't about to let his brother go off into danger solo.

Still, Jake had to admit that the going was easier than he had hoped. During the week that they had been traveling towards the badlands, the party had barely even seen another living creature, let alone anything that was remotely dangerous. Finn was as energetic as ever, and every now and then he could hear the strum of Marceline's bass echo from the back of the group. Even the food seemed to consistently be in good supply; Finn must have been more thorough in his preparations than usual.

"Hey Jake, how much longer do you think it'll be until we get to the badlands?" asked Finn as the group hiked through a patch of taller grass.

"Not sure, man, but I think we're getting close. We could be there before nighttime," replied Jake.

"All right, I guess that sounds good," Finn said as he began to hack at the grass in order to clear a path.

For as many times as the two had traveled this way, judging the distance had been a little bit difficult. Normally, they would just fly in one of PB's crazy inventions, or Jake would just make himself big enough to where covering ground was no big deal. But, this time they had to guard the colony crew, or whatever they were called, so they all went by foot. Jake probably could have fit them all on his back, but he decided that he'd rather just let them walk on their own. They hadn't run into much along their journey, but those six still made Jake feel uncomfortable; it was like their eyes were constantly staring through the back of his head, reminding him of a certain poo-brained horse. As pleasant as the journey had been so far, they were a constant reminder that something about this whole thing wasn't quite right.

A few hours passed, and the sun began to start its daily descent towards the horizon. The grass, which had been all there was to see for days, had finally begun to thin out. Here and there, patches of junk had become visible: half-buried tires, twisted posts, and rusted sheets of metal were becoming a more prominent feature of the landscape. As they continued to walk, the grass gave way almost entirely to miles and miles of brown sand, stretching out for what seemed liked forever. The group stopped marching momentarily and stood staring at the vast waste that lay before them. They had finally reached the badlands.

"Mathematical! We made it!" Finn shouted, as if he had never actually been there before.

"Whoa there Finn, you sure seem excited. Normally _I'm_ the only one who gets a kick out of an empty wasteland filled with skulls," Marceline joked as she joined Finn and Jake at the head of the group.

"I mean, you know, I'm just excited that we're getting close to the end, that's all. I'm tired of walking, and I haven't actually gotten to fight anything yet," Finn responded, slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah, well, be careful what you wish for bro," Jake said with a laugh. "I'd just as soon kick back once we get to where these little guys are supposed to be."

"Aww man, that junk's boring." Finn crossed his arms, "What kind of escort quest doesn't have some sort of raider band or something?"

"The relaxing kind," Jake replied.

"So where to now?" Marceline asked. As if in answer to her question, the colony crew began to move once more, wordlessly marching towards the heart of the wasteland.

"Looks like they know the way," Finn said, and quickly made to walk besides the travelers. Marceline and Jake soon followed suit.

"Dude, these guys still give me the creeps," Jake muttered as he reluctantly took his place besides the strangers. "It's like traveling with a bunch of zombies or something."

"Oh, I don't know about that. Zombies tend to be much more lively," replied Marceline with a wry smile. "Though, I will admit that these guys smell a lot better. Besides Jake, if they actually _were_ undead, I think you'd have a much harder time controlling your bowels, as I recall."

"Haha, gross," Finn laughed as Jake shot Marceline a dirty look.

"These guys really aren't so bad Jake," Finn continued. "They're kind of like some sort of squadron of science ninjas, you know? Sworn to secrecy to protect the things they hold most dear."

"Finn, I think I would know ninjas when I see them," Jake retorted. "Need I remind you who the current reigning ninja champion of the treehouse is?"

"Pfft, whatever man," Finn said dismissively. "You and I both know that-"

Finn was cut short as the ground beneath their feet began to shake. It started with a rumble, and quickly grew more violent; the sands were starting to shift and bubble around the group as they struggled to find their footing. Finn and Jake readied themselves for a skirmish, but the landscape then became calm once more, almost as suddenly as the action had begun. Jake, Finn, and Marceline shared a moment of confused stillness while the colonization crew continued to march onward, apparently not at all phased by the activity.

"What the heck was _that_?" Finn asked, the excitement in his voice making Jake somewhat uncomfortable.

"Bad news, if I had to take a guess," Jake said, the hair on the back of his neck still standing up. In all the times he had been to the badlands, Jake couldn't ever remember an earthquake. _So what in Ooo would possibly cause the ground to_-

"Jake, _LOOK OUT_."

The dog heard Finn yell just in time to turn around to a sight he had hoped to never see again. A dull brown figure had leapt out from the sand and lunged towards the group. The misshapen creature was barely distinguishable from the rest of the desert landscape, save for the green ooze that dripped out from gaping holes that covered its body. Jake barely managed to side step his attacker to gain a moment's reprieve, but not far off what sounded like a mix of growls and moans was clearly audible.

The monsters were back.

Three other figures followed the one that had lunged at Jake, each leaking a sickly toxic goo onto the ground as it walked towards the group. Finn had already jumped towards the first one, sword drawn. Apparently, the long week of travel hadn't dulled his reflexes at all; the monster had no time to react as the grass sword slashed across its abdomen. The liquid that had been dripping from its orifices sprayed out of the wound, covering Finn and Jake in the slime.

"Oh man, gross!" Finn grimaced as he attempted to shake some of the goop off of his hands. "This stuff smells like crud."

"Finn, be careful!" Jake yelled as another enemy jumped towards them. He was able to guard his brother with an extended arm, the hand of which was stretched to several times its original size. The monster was temporarily knocked back, which allowed Jake time to take stock of the situation. _Aw man, I knew something like this was going to happen_, he thought to himself as he looked at the monsters, who were only a few yards away and closing. _If we don't do something fast, we might lose another…_

It was at that moment that Jake realized that their group was noticeably smaller than it had been a few minutes ago. He glanced around, and saw that the colony crew had never stopped marching. Even during the earthquake, the six little guys kept moving towards their destination; apparently they were unaware of how well candy people had fared against these things recently.

"Finn, the colony crew!" Finn glanced behind him as he heard Jake call out.

"Aww, nuts!" the boy shouted. He turned back to face the enemy that was now only feet away from him. "Marceline, can you go after them?"

"And do what?" asked the vampire, who had been watching from a distance. "In case you haven't noticed, the sun hasn't set, and it's not exactly cloudy."

"What? You're just gonna stand there?" Jake turned toward Marceline.

"It's not my fault you two bozos insisted on traveling during the day. Besides, I think, Finn's got a pretty good handle on this," Marceline responded as she shifted her gaze towards where the monsters had been.

Turning back, Jake couldn't help but agree that she was right. Two more broken oozing husks lay on the ground, and Finn stood facing the last of their adversaries, his once-blue shirt covered in a sickly green. The final monster was still a few feet from Finn, who stood with eyes fixed on his enemy and both hands on the hilt of his sword; if he had thought the thing was capable of any sort of emotion, Jake would have said it looked scared. After the two had been staring at each other for what seemed like minutes-if you could call what the thing was doing staring-Finn's foe leapt high into the air, apparently attempting to land on him. Without much effort, Finn sidestepped as the creature landed headfirst into the sand. As it lay there dazed, Finn raised his sword in the air, letting it hover with its point above where anything else would have a heart.

"This is for James!" Finn's voice pierced through the desert air like his sword through the hide of the monster. The creature contorted, gave one final shudder, and then was still.

Jake breathed a sigh of relief and headed towards his brother, who had renewed his attempts to shake the remnants of the battle off of his clothes. Even Marceline looked happy that the skirmish was done as she floated over.

"You all right, man?" Jake asked, pawing a chunk of glop from Finn's shirt.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just-Jake, the crew!" Finn stopped trying to clean himself as he realized that the six candy people were still missing.

"Don't worry, I got 'em," the dog responded, his arm stretching towards the marchers. "But seriously what is with these guys? I mean, bravery is one thing, but it's like they don't even-"

"Uhhh, Jake?" Marceline was staring towards Jake's outstretched arm. As he followed her gaze, Jake realized why she had stopped him; his hand was not the only one aiming for the colony crew. Just a few yards away from his own arm, a huge claw was making its way upward from beneath the sands.

"Is that another one?" Finn asked, joining Jake and Marceline in staring at the unearthed limb.

"Not necessarily," Jake shrugged, trying to convince himself more than anyone. "I mean, you know, it could just be an arm." The sands around the now outstretched arm began to bubble and quake, and an enormous figure began to rise from under the ground. _Ok, so it's definitely not just an arm._

As Jake quickly withdrew his own arm, the creature continued to stand. The debris started to cascade off of its body, making the monster's outline clearer. Its figure was oddly rectangular, the angles in stark contrast to the misshapen enemies that they had faced earlier. The creature's only obvious defect was a missing chunk of its body in the upper right hand corner of its head. _Whatever it is, it's huge_, thought Jake; the thing was almost standing upright now, and was at least three times the height of Finn.

"Well, maybe it's friendly!" Finn suggested optimistically. Though it wouldn't have been the first friendly giant they met, Jake seriously doubted they would find anything in this wasteland that didn't want them dead. His doubts were confirmed as the first drop of green slime splashed near the monster's foot. He began to ready himself to face the new opponent, but as the creature finally made its way fully upright, Jake's stomach dropped. The last bits of debris had fallen off of the giant before them, and it was now clearly visible.

The monster was James.

Or, at least, it had been James. Looking into the hollow black pits that used to be eyes, Jake was fairly confident that any vestiges of their former friend had long since been erased.

"James? _James_!" Finn had apparently not been quite as observant. "James, hey _JAMES!_" Appearing to hear the shouts, the thing that had been James shifted its gaze from the other six trespassers towards Finn, Jake, and Marceline.

"James, it's us!" Finn continued. "We're sorry we had to leave you behind, but PB said you'd be fine, but now you're _back_, and, I mean, there's two of you now, but I'm sure we can work it out, I'm sure we can-"

"Dude, I don't think that's James anymore," Jake said as the monster slowly lurched towards them.

"But…it _has _to be." Finn began to step forward. "You remember us, don't you James? Remember, you thought we were ok guys?"

The two were now just steps away from each other. James looked down at the boy addressing him, and for a moment it looked like he might actually remember Finn. However, as it cocked back its right arm, its true intentions became clear. Before anyone had time to react, an oversized claw sent Finn flying off to the side with a sickening crack. He landed face-down in the sand several yards away with a soft thud.

_"FINN!"_ Jake shouted. He quickly increased his size to match that of the creature, putting himself between it and its prey. The monster moved to attack with its other arm, but its massive size apparently dulled its speed. Jake ducked under the incoming swipe and was able to connect on an uppercut to James's stomach. The creature doubled over, allowing Jake to connect with a kick to its face. The kick sent James flying backwards, and for the moment he lay stunned facing the sky. Shrinking back down to his original size, Jake rushed over to Finn, who had somehow managed to sit upright.

"Finn, buddy, are you ok?" Jake looked over his brother. Finn's breathing was a bit labored, but regular. He seemed fully conscious, if not a little dazed, and the cuts on his stomach from where the claw had connected were bleeding, though they didn't appear to be too deep. _He must have managed to take a step back just in time_ thought Jake.

"I'm fine…don't worry about me." Besides a ripped shirt, a few bruised ribs and a possible concussion, Jake had to admit that he really did look fine. _This kid is something else. _He looked behind him and saw James struggling to regain his footing.

"Well, that's good, 'cause it looks like we still got trouble, brother." Jake helped Finn to his feet, and the two stood side by side facing the now recovered monster.

"Right," Finn nodded, his blade retaking its place in his hand with a _twang_.

For some reason, James wasn't moving. Instead, he made his claws into fists, widened his stance, and leaned back his head. Suddenly, he began to inhale deeply, his monstrous diaphragm expanding to twice its original size.

"I think we should run now," Finn quickly whispered.

"Yeah, good call," Jake responded.

The decision was not made a moment too soon; as the two peeled off in opposite directions, James threw his head forward and began to spew forth a pillar of green flame. The fire engulfed everything in its path, leaving even the desert sands alight with burning emerald tongues. The heat from the flame was intense, and it had a toxic air about it that started to make Jake nauseous. _This could get bad_, Jake thought, still running away from the heat. _If this guy hurls that stuff in the direction of our zombie troupe, they wouldn't even blink an eye while they burned alive._

Jake looked over his shoulder at Finn, who met his gaze while running the opposite direction. The two then nodded, as if reading each other's thoughts. Without a word, Finn and Jake began to wheel back towards James, making every effort to avoid the line of toxic flames still burning in the sand. James had finally stopped belching fire, and was readying himself for another attack.

Just as the monster began to fill up on air, Jake arrived within striking range. Quickly growing to his foe's size once more, he proceeded to wrap his arms around the clawed limbs that hung at James's side. The surprise of the bind caused the giant to harmlessly release what flames he had readied into the air. The heat from the fire at so close a distance was difficult to bear, but Jake kept his grip firm.

Before James could react, Finn was flying towards him through the air. The monster could only watch as the boy made his landing, the point of his sword sticking far into its chest. Kicking his feet free and hanging from the hilt, Finn proceeded to drag the sword down with his weight, slicing through rotting candy flesh as he descended to the ground. When Finn's feet touched the sand once more, Jake released his grip. James wavered for a moment, and then landed with a crash on the desert floor.

Breathing heavily, Finn and Jake walked towards each other. The fire had finally extinguished itself, leaving a path of blackened sand where it had once raged. The two looked back at the monster as the sun finally began to set far in the edge of the desert; this time, Jake doubted he would get back up. An oversized corpse leaking vile toxic fluid was all that remained of the one who had once saved their lives.

"James, I'm sor.." Finn fell over before he could finish his sentence. Looking down, Jake could see he was bleeding more heavily than before. _The fight must have aggravated his wounds, _he thought as he reached into Finn's pack to get bandages.

"Hey, Jake."

Jake looked up to see Marceline, along with the six candy people whom they had been charged to guard.

"How'd you get them to come back?" Jake asked as he wrapped Finn's wounds.

"Oh, I have a lot of experience getting zombies to do what I say," Marceline winked. Her face then became more serious. "Is he gonna be all right?"

"He'll be fine," Jake replied. "He's taken worse before. We'll need to let him rest tomorrow, though."

"It's just as well," Marceline said, glancing at the giant corpse as the tip of the sun vanished into the sand. "From now on, we travel at night."

Jake wasn't about to argue with her. "I'll set up camp," he said, and set about making the tent that he and Finn slept in.

Later that night, Jake sat outside his tent while Marceline kept guard over the colony crew. Odd as they were, the little guys still needed sleep every night, though they never seemed to mind just resting on the sand. He stared wordlessly into the fire, its embers reflecting their light off of his unblinking eyes. From the way Princess Bubblegum had been acting, Jake had figured the mission would be dangerous, but this…this was more than he expected. As he looked deeper into the flame, he thought for a second that he could see the toxic torches once more dancing in the desert.

Jake shuddered, and did his best not think about the last enemy that attacked with that kind of fire.

**A/N: Finally, some action! Next chapter will be up as soon as possible. Thanks again for reading!**


	4. Red Rising

**A/N: As always, a big shout-out to everyone reading this, especially those of you who've enjoyed it enough to review/favorite/follow. I hope you will all continue to enjoy!**

**I don't own AT or any characters, etc etc. **

It was an unusually hot day inside the throne room. _Not that every day isn't hot_, reflected the princess. The heat never particularly bothered her, but it still seemed as if that particular afternoon was slightly more oppressive than normal. She glanced up at the oversized lamp which hung from the ceiling like a chandelier. _Doesn't look like they're up to anything, _she thought, noting the two figures enclosed in the glass.

Flame Princess leaned back into the Red Throne with a contented sigh; there really was no sense in worrying about the Flame Kingdom feeling a bit warm. Besides, she had a line of citizens waiting for her help, and her duty was to worry about them. She nodded to Cinnamon Bun, and her knight motioned for the next person in line to step forward.

"What is your request?" Flame Princess looked on the family that had come before her. Two parents were clutching an infant whose flame had just begun to burn.

"Princess," the father started nervously, "we've just had our firstborn. Now, we've never had to ask for anything before; for generations, my family has always taken pride in our ability to live off of the land. But, over the past few years, things just…haven't gone as far as they used to. My wife and I have been able to get by on such a humble living for years, but…" The man lowered his head, seemingly too ashamed to continue.

"What my husband was trying to say," the mother picked up where he left off, though with little less difficulty, "is that we don't know if we can feed another mouth. Our family coal mine is almost tapped dry."

The princess frowned. This was not the first such story she had heard; countless miners had come before her in recent weeks complaining that the coal mines were running short. After the first few supplicants, Flame Princess and Cinnamon Bun had gone to explore some of the caverns. Sure enough, what she had been hearing was true; the mines were very close to being depleted. Much closer, in fact, than anyone seemed to realize. Unfortunately, it was not just a few of the mines, but every one they inspected, with some already completely empty. By her estimates, the available supply could last the kingdom maybe another year, at best.

_If I don't figure out something soon…_

She looked up again at her father, who was not paying the slightest bit of attention to what was going on in his former kingdom. Her frown deepened into a scowl. _How could he have ignored this problem for so long?_ The flames above her crown began to rise, sending a heat wave throughout the chamber. _Evil is one thing, but ignoring your own kingdom's supplies? That's just stupid!_ The temperature around her throne continued to increase as she glared at the lamp, the murmurs of conversation throughout the throne room fading away in response to the heat of Flame Princess's ire.

"Er, your majesty," the man before her stammered awkwardly, breaking the tense silence.

"Oh, sorry," Flame Princess calmed herself, and the business of the throne began again. She continued her previous thought, "I can't do anything for you right now, but I have soldiers looking for new mines as we speak. I promise that we'll tell you when we find something."

"Thank you, princess," the family bowed, and then turned around to leave.

It was a story she had become tired of retelling. Certainly it was the truth, but the soldiers had been searching for months and hadn't found much of anything. Not to mention the fact that when they _did_ find something, it would be difficult to determine who had first claim to the coal. Nor was the any guarantee that they would find enough.

A sudden hush made the Flame Princess look about the throne room. Apparently having overheard the conversation, everyone else in the chamber followed the family she had just spoken with and left the chamber. The monarch groaned.

"CB, were they _all_ here about finding more coal?"

"I think so, Princess," replied the knight.

She let out another sigh, this time in exasperation, "I don't know what we're gonna do about this."

"Don't worry; I'm sure something will turn up," Cinnamon Bun responded faithfully.

Smiling at the words of encouragement, the princess of flame stood up from her throne. "Thanks CB. I think I'm gonna go sit in my room for a bit. Watch over things while I'm out."

"Yes, your highness." Cinnamon Bun took his place standing in front of the throne.

The corridor ahead of Flame Princess was dimly lit as always, its only inhabitants the few guards that she hadn't sent to look for more resources. She finally made her way back to her own room. Making her way through the door, she walked over to the window. Outside, she could see much of the flame kingdom alight with activity. For the moment, it was peaceful; the people who had once prided themselves on their evil were slowly beginning to turn away from backstabbing as a hobby, whether they realized it or not. A kingdom was, after all, often a reflection of the one that ruled it.

_But if I can't get this coal thing fixed…_Flame Princess shook her head. She _would_ get it fixed; it was her duty.

Glancing around her room, the princess noted her favorite scented candles still burning on a nightstand. She walked over to the table and inhaled, suddenly remembering the time when Finn had risked his butt to bring them to her. _He might be a liar_, she thought, _but he's definitely a fearless liar._ When her own soldiers' initial attempts to find more coal had proved less than successful, she had thought to go to Finn again for help. But, the issue with her dad had made her hesitate; she didn't doubt that Finn could be helpful, but he was still just being too…weird. As brave as he was, Flame Princess doubted he could accomplish much if he spent all his time trying to flirt with her.

Her next thought had been to work out a trade with the Candy Kingdom. Princess Bubblegum was a scientist or whatever, and probably knew how to _make_ coal if she didn't know where to find it. However, Flame Princess had quickly dismissed that idea as well; trying to trade with someone she didn't trust was even stupider than asking the help of someone who just wanted to try and get you back. She turned back to stare out of her window. _This is something I've got to figure out for myself._

The princess remained motionless for some time, until she heard a light knock at her door.

"Princess?" The voice was clearly Cinnamon Bun.

Turning from the window, Flame Princess made her way over to the room's entrance. Opening the door, she saw Cinnamon Bun standing there, his eyes fixed to the floor.

"Princess, I'm sorry to bother you…" he continued, obviously uncomfortable at what he perceived to be a disturbance.

Flame Princess smiled reassuringly, "You're not bothering me at all, CB. What's up?"

Cinnamon Bun raised his head and returned the smile. Much more at ease now, he elaborated, "Your highness, there's someone in the throne room waiting to see you. I told him you were done for today, but he said it was urgent…something about the fate of the entire kingdom being on the line."

The princess felt a momentary rush of excitement. "Is it one of the soldiers I sent out to find more coal?"

"Uh, I don't think so; I've never even seen this guy before," Cinnamon Bun replied.

Flame Princess's heart sank, but she did her best not to show it. _Besides, my soldiers might not be the only ones looking for what we need._

"Tell him I will meet him momentarily," she said.

A few minutes later, the Flame Princess made her way back into the throne room. The room was empty save for Cinnamon Bun, the few guards left at the gate, and a figure that the princess did not recognize. Making her way towards the Red Throne, the princess met eyes with the stranger, a flame man of average height whose sole article of clothing was a long black cloak. The hood of the cloak was down to reveal a red-orange flame that comprised the visitor's head, giving him the appearance of a long black candle. The man's gaze continued to follow the princess as she approached her throne, the coal-black eyes common to flame people accentuated by a thin ring of green. Flame Princess felt a distinct sense of unease in the stranger's presence. Then again, this _was_ the Flame Kingdom; it wouldn't be the first time she had talked face to face with someone who wanted to kill her.

Seating herself on the throne, the princess addressed this newcomer in the same manner she had hailed supplicants all day, "What is your request?"

The man had remained unmoved with his gaze fixed upon the princess as he stood before the throne, and a sly smile crept across his face as the princess addressed him. "Ah, my princess," he began, "it is not what you can do for me, but what I can do for you."

Though clearly audible, his speaking voice had the feel of a whisper, making it seem as if his every word was a closely guarded secret. The princess raised an eyebrow in interest, enticed beyond her natural curiosity by the sense of desperation that had slowly begun to gnaw at her insides. As much as she needed help, however, she knew she had to remain on her guard. _One false move and I'll be back in the lamp._

"Who are you?" she asked, in an attempt to level the playing field.

"Who I am is not important," the stranger replied. "It is the information in my possession that I believe will be the most useful to your highness."

"I don't have time for riddles and half-truths," the flames flickering above the princess' head displayed her irritation. "If you're only going to dance around my questions, then we have no more reason to be here." The princess made to leave the throne.

"I suppose you're not interested in saving your people from starvation, then."

The words froze Flame Princess in place, and she slowly returned to her seat. _How could he know how bad it was?_ She was hesitant to trust anyone regarding this situation, much less someone she didn't even know, but she was running out of options.

"Continue," she said, her frustration making her more curt than she meant to sound.

Whether the stranger had noticed her begrudging tone or not, he didn't seem to care; he appeared perfectly content to have his audience exactly where he wanted her.

"As I was saying," he continued, "I have information that you can use to help your people, if you would take advantage of it. My sources tell me that which you seek may be just outside the borders of your country."

The stranger's momentary pause must have allowed him some time to see the look on the princess's face, for he added, "My sources, your highness, are quite reliable. But, you are free to take my advice or not, as you wish."

Flame Princess trusted the speaker less and less by the minute; if things were up to her she would have already thrown him out. But, if her short time on the throne had taught her anything, it was that patience was just as important as strength. _Besides, what choice do I have?_

"I'm still listening," came her answer.

The man grinned again. "In the badlands, just to the east of your kingdom, lie vast, unclaimed deserts," he said. "Legend has it that over a thousand years ago, the inhabitants of the area used to dig deep into the ground in search of liquid coal. They say this liquid coal was so potent that it was used to power the fires of entire continents. So great was its power that wars were fought over it, and some even say that the liquid coal was part of the reason for the Great Mushroom War, itself. But now, centuries later, this great fortune lies untapped in the wasteland, waiting for someone to take ahold of it."

"And I suppose these sources of yours are over a thousand years old, too?" the princess asked.

"In a manner of speaking," the man chuckled. "My sources are purveyors of the ancient past; representatives of the whispers that remain of a forgotten era."

Wordlessly, the princess continued to study her guest. Liquid coal? She had certainly never heard of such a thing, and it almost sounded too outlandish to exist.

_But what if it's true?_

She couldn't help but consider. Liquid coal would certainly be easier to move around, and the badlands weren't very far away. If it could really light the fire of entire continents, surely it would last her people for generations. At the very least, it was a proposition worth looking into.

"You have my interest, stranger. How do I get this liquid coal?" asked the princess.

"Ah, now that," the man tapped a fiery finger against his cheek, "that is where things get a bit…complicated. You see, someone is already moving to take the treasure for themselves."

"What? _Who?"_ The princess demanded, the heat in the room intensifying once more. She found it hard to believe that anyone else had even heard of such a thing, and even more difficult to think of anyone who could possibly have more of a use for it than her.

"I am informed, your highness," said the stranger, "that it is none other than Princess Bubblegum."

"_Her?"_ The Red Throne briefly erupted into a tower of flame at the mention of the princess of the Candy Kingdom. Cinnamon Bun had to step back to avoid the intensity of the fire, and even the cloaked man temporarily seemed to lose the calm assurance he had had throughout the meeting. Shortly, however, the princess regained her composure along with her normal form. Sitting back in her throne and taking a deep breath, she continued. "What could _she_ possibly want with the liquid coal?"

"Of that, unfortunately, I am uncertain," came the reply. "Though, if I were to speculate…"

"Spit it out," the princess demanded.

"Well," he continued, "I have heard that her people are outgrowing the current kingdom, and she is seeking a new source of power to provide for her followers."

Flame Princess considered this. She was frustrated that Bubblegum was going to get there first, but if it was about providing for the candy people, she couldn't exactly fault her. Maybe, if she just told PB about her own problem, they could come to some sort of agreement…

"However," the man's voice interrupted Flame Princess's thoughts, "I don't believe this to be true. If I may be so bold, your highness, I believe what the Candy Kingdom is planning is much more underhanded."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"Princess Bubblegum has never put much trust in the Flame Kingdom," the man said. "During your father's reign, she was content to simply leave the Kingdom to its own devices, confident that if they ever attempted anything with her borders that she could fend off their advances. You, however, she perceives as a threat. She has always been looking for ways to contain your power, and I think she believes she has finally found a way to do just that."

Flame Princess clenched her fist. "How?"

"Seeing as how I know of the Kingdom's…current predicament, it should come as no surprise to you that Princess Bubblegum is also aware of it. She also knows that the liquid coal could make the Fire Kingdom even more powerful than it has been in the past, and she will do anything to keep that from happening. Imagine, then, if she were to keep you from getting the supplies your country so desperately needs…"

The meaning behind the man's story became clear to the princess. "She wouldn't…"

"Wouldn't she?" the stranger asked, his voice rising. "This same Princess Bubblegum had so little faith in your ability to control your power that she interfered with your relationship. This same Princess Bubblegum was so petrified of your power that she had you imprisoned when you were just a child. This same Princess Bubblegum, if she had her way, would have kept you locked up forever just because it would be more convenient for her precious kingdom!"

The princess of flame was taken aback by the sudden change in the speaker's intensity; it almost sounded like he had his own vendetta against Bubblegum. Sure, she didn't have the slightest bit of trust for Princess Bubblegum, but the pink princess wasn't without her own sense of justice. This all seemed too much, even for the Candy Kingdom.

"Even so, would she really go _that_ far just because of a grudge against me? What you're suggesting is intentionally trying to destroy an entire country."

"A country that, when the time comes, will demand a ruler of action. As I said, you are free to do with this information what you please, but I suggest you make a decision sooner rather than later. The people of the Fire Kingdom will not tolerate a ruler who would be content to let them starve. Now, I have said my piece," the man bowed respectfully, and then placed the hood of his cloak back over his head.

"I thank your highness for her hospitality," he said as he headed for the exit.

As the gates of the throne room closed behind the unexpected visitor, the princess slumped back into her throne and groaned. The man's last words still weighed heavily on her; she had no doubt that it wouldn't take much for her people to turn on her if they found out they were on the brink of starvation. Still, could she risk a direct confrontation with the Candy Kingdom? Flame Princess weighed her odds. Princess Bubblegum was powerful, and likely better supplied. On the other hand, the Flame Kingdom had fearsome fighters, herself included. If it came down to it, she could probably do a fair amount of damage by herself. No one in the Candy Kingdom could possibly be a match for her; she had already seen that. _It would be easy,_ she thought. _All I'd have to do is just let the flames go_. _I could burn everything in my path, lay waste to the kingdom of liars, and watch the flames as they…_

Flame Princess suddenly stopped, recoiling at the thought. She shook her head. _No, I'm not that kind of ruler. I am not my father, and I'm _not_ evil._ Warfare, she was certain, was best left as a last resort.

"Well CB, what do you think?" the princess addressed the knight, hoping for some sort of reassurance.

"I dunno, Princess," he replied. "Bubblegum has done some cruddy stuff, but I don't know if she'd do all _that_."

Breathing a sigh of relief, the princess allowed herself to smile. "That's what I thought, too."

She stood up and looked outside, the smile quickly fading from her face. Whether or not Princess Bubblegum was up to something, she still had a nation to feed. What the man had to say was difficult to swallow, but she no longer had the luxury of only investigating leads that appealed to her. _No matter what, I have to be prepared._

"Cinnamon Bun," the princess turned her head back towards her friend.

"Yes, your highness?"

"Prepare an emissary for the Candy Kingdom. I need to speak with Princess Bubblegum."

"Consider it done."

Taking her leave of the throne room, Flame Princess made her way back to her quarters. Her course of action decided, she was finally ready to retire for the evening. She would find out from Princess Bubblegum herself the truth of the stranger's words, and that would tell her all she needed to know about what to do next.

War would be her last resort, but she couldn't be afraid to do what was necessary.

**A/N: I have to admit, it's a lot easier to write for CB now that he's not a complete bumbling idiot (though, perhaps, a bit less fun). Anywho, I'm happy to announce that the next chapter will be from Marceline's POV! Marceline is one of my favorite characters to write for, and I can't wait to see how the next chapter comes out. As always, if you've got a minute, feel free to let me know what you think! I deeply, deeply appreciate you guys taking the time to read this.**


	5. Dark Memories

**_A/N: My apologies for the haphazard posting schedule! Unfortunately, writing has to take a backseat to getting the ol' PhD, so delays like this will happen from time to time. Don't worry, though: I'm 100% committed to seeing this story through! As always, I cannot thank those of you who take the time to read this enough. Writing isn't nearly as much fun without an audience._**

**_I make no claims of ownership over Adventure Time or any of the characters._**

_Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got…_

The lyrics were becoming nothing but a distant memory, but for some reason Marceline had never forgotten them. Maybe it was because memories were the only thing that remained of Simon, or maybe it was simply because the line could not have been more applicable to her life.

_Everything I've got and then some_, she sighed as she walked along the lifeless streets of the city.

The broken cities held nothing but the promise of danger and the pain of bitter memories for the girl, but she had to eat somehow. She had tried her hand at hunting in the forests that still remained, with some success, but the war that had wiped out, to her knowledge, everyone else on the planet had not been much more kind to the wildlife. It wasn't a chore she was fond of doing, but she needed supplies from the remnants of the cities if she wanted to survive. Hunger always won out against fear.

Fortunately, fear was a continually decreasing factor for Marceline. In the years since Simon, or whatever he called himself now, had left her to fend for herself, she had begun to discover that she possessed strange abilities; the more the situations called for it, the more Marceline discovered that she was stronger, faster, and possessed a much stronger will to survive than anything else she met in the ruins. The shape-shifting was also convenient, in a pinch. She didn't know much about her father, but she knew he was a demon, which made her half-demon. Since Simon's powers came from the crown, and not being a human, she reasoned that her demon blood was to thank for her own talents.

Marceline stopped as she came to an intersection in the road she was following to scan the way ahead. She hadn't come across anything that looked like it had any supplies left yet, but she was sure that food couldn't be far. A rusting stop sign snapped in two pointed towards a long row of rubble to her right, and the scene to her left was more of the same. Both directions seemed to lead away from the heart of the city, and neither had anything more than piles of brick and cement with the occasional iron girder still standing.

Frowning, Marceline looked at the sky, which was the same hopeless shade of black that it almost always was. Nuclear winter, she seemed to remember Simon calling it. The name had always seemed stupid to her; winter was supposed to be cold, and she had never felt the need to wear anything more than a t-shirt. Still, the cities seemed to be almost perpetually dark, as if a clear sky would be an invitation for more bombs to drop.

Not that there was anyone left to drop them.

Besides, Simon's word was the only one she had at the time, and that made it as good as gospel. Her gaze lingered at the ominous clouds for a moment longer, as it sometimes did, but she eventually quit her stare and continued along her way.

"You should know he's not coming back by now," she chided herself.

Normally, she would make as little noise as possible when in the city, but her own voice was the only one she was sure to hear on a daily basis. At that point, she would have almost welcomed the mutants; at the very least, killing a few of them would break up the monotony. Marceline walked past a few more city blocks, and eventually found a building that looked promising. The only letters still visible on its fading sign were an "R," a "T", and an "A", but the general shape of the building told Marceline everything she knew. She had finally found a supermarket, and that meant she wouldn't have to go hungry that night.

Abandoning her usual caution, Marceline leapt through a broken window onto a disintegrating tile floor. There was a pervasive stench in the building, but at this point it was more likely from dead rats that had run out of spoiled food to eat than from the spoiled food itself. She looked around for signs of foods that would still be preserved, and thought she spotted some promising packaging a few aisles down. Licking her lips, she made her way towards what she hoped would be her meal for the next few days.

As she headed towards her dinner, however, something outside the storefront caught Marceline's attention. Her natural instincts now returning, she quickly ducked behind a counter and peeked out to see what it was. She had to stop herself from audibly gasping as she found what had distracted her: It was another girl.

The girl wore a long dress, that Marceline thought was oddly clean, and some sort of thin hat with a blue jewel in it. The strangest thing about her, though, was her color; the stranger was pink from head to toe. _Then again,_ thought Marceline, _it's not like I remember what other people are supposed to look like. Simon was blue and I'm mostly grey, so I guess a pink person isn't _that_ weird._ Marceline toyed with the notion of moving closer, but that's when she realized that the girl was in an oddly similar position to herself, crouched behind a slab of cement.

_What is she hiding from?_ She scanned the ground directly in front of this newcomer, but she couldn't see anything else. In all likelihood, the girl was hiding from the mutants, in which case Marceline had nothing to worry about; if this pink person was afraid of the mutants, then she couldn't possibly pose a threat to a half-demon. _Or maybe she saw a rat and is worried about getting her clothes messy,_ Marceline grinned. Gaining confidence, she made to get up from behind her cover, but was stopped by a sudden chill throughout her body. A mild shift in temperature wouldn't usually give her pause, but something felt different about this. More than a little bit of wind, Marceline felt as if something was actively trying to draw all the heat out of her.

That's when she saw it.

Floating in the air just a few feet away from the other girl was a creature unlike anything she had ever seen. This time, Marceline froze, struggling to stifle her pounding heartbeat. Whether out of surprise or fear, Marceline didn't have the wits to make out much of the figure's details; most of the thing seemed to be nothing more than a floating shade, but its scent was a dead giveaway to its intentions.

Marceline had smelled plenty of death in her travels, and that thing reeked of it.

Every fiber of her being was screaming to run, to get as far away from the thing as possible and never, ever look back, but for some reason Marceline remained transfixed by the floating entity ahead of her. A cold sweat began to form on her forehead, and the only motion she was capable of was trembling from head to toe. She would have given all the food she had hoped to find to regain control of her body, but this time the fear was winning.

Suddenly, as if sensing her gaze, the creature stopped what it was doing and snapped its head right in her direction. Its piercing green eyes shone with malicious intent, and the monster began a slow advance. As it made its way towards her, it seemed to emanate a darkness that consumed everything. Marceline tried to scream, but whatever voice she thought she had was swallowed by the void spreading toward her. Still without control of her body, she could only look on in horror as the creature moved toward her, the darkness making her its prisoner. The world around her faded to black, and the last thing Marceline saw were two green eyes that shone like flame, rhythmically advancing to bring about her final cadence.

The vampire queen woke up like a bolt, her breathing rapid and heavy.

Looking around, Marceline noticed that the sun had almost finished setting. She peeked outside her tent; the rest of the group, which was still having trouble adjusting to a more nocturnal mode of operations, was already up and getting ready to set out. She took a deep breath, and silently exhaled, her breathing returning to normal. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she scoffed at herself. _What sort of demon has nightmares? It's not even night!_

Ridiculous as it seemed, it was her current reality. They had started on the first day after they entered the badlands, right after their unfortunate run-in with the mutants. Marceline shuddered at the thought. Out of all the creatures she had encountered in her travels, they were the ones that Marceline had least hoped to see ever again. Of course, she had long passed the point where they posed a physical threat to her. Unfortunately, they apparently retained a knack for bringing up memories that were best left 1000 years ago where they belonged. The princess of the Nightosphere had plenty of experience with ghosts, but her own were proving difficult to handle.

_Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot_.

Marceline shrugged off her blanket and started working to forget the restless day she had just finished. As the sun cast its last ray of light across the desert, Marceline emerged from her tent. Finn and Jake had already packed all their supplies, and Bonnie's six creations were standing at attention, apparently waiting for an order. The vampire cracked a slight smile; the things were kind of off-putting, but she always appreciated henchmen who would follow her orders without question.

_Speaking of henchmen…_ Marceline glanced over towards Finn. She could no longer smell any blood on the bandages under his shirt, which was a good sign. Though she had never doubted Finn would recover, being around that much blood made her uncomfortable, and a slowly healing injury would make the trip take even longer than she had anticipated. Still, she could tell that the kid wasn't all there, and one glance at Jake told her that the dog could notice, too. Ever since that run-in with the giant monster, Finn had been acting like more of a zombie than anyone in the group. From the way he was yelling at it, Marceline had guessed that it was someone he knew; or, at any rate, somebody he _used_ to know. Despite the fact that a subdued Finn was about as rare a sight as anyone could hope for, his constant moping was staring to bring her down, so she decided to take matters into her own hands.

"How'd you sleep, hero?" she asked as she casually floated over to join the dog and human.

Finn shrugged. "Ok, I guess…I'm still not so great at sleeping during the day."

"You'll get used to it," Marceline chuckled. "Besides, if we kept travelling during the day, I'd have to leave all the monsters to you guys. Where's the fun in that for me?" she winked.

The boy's only response was to sigh and stare at the ground.

Marceline frowned. "Ok, _seriously_ Finn, what's eating you? I haven't seen you this depressed since I told you that balloon music wasn't a real thing."

Finn continued to stare at the ground.

"It's just been a rough time for him," Jake answered in his stead. "You know that guy we killed, James?"

"Well, he _was_ kind of hard to miss," Marceline replied, "though I wasn't aware you two were in the habit of naming your monsters."

"Yeah, well…we actually used to know him, before he became a giant oozing monster. He…" now Jake was looking at the ground, as well, "he saved our lives once. Not too far from here."

"So what?" Marceline folded her arms, not at all impressed by the morose display going on in front of her.

"_So what_?" Finn had apparently been momentarily pulled from his stupor by the vampire's callous response. "He saved us, Marceline! He saved our lives, and we _killed _him!" He looked at his hands, as if they were still gripping the sword that sliced through the monster. "How am I even supposed to live with myself after doing something like that?"

"You can start by actually staying _alive_," Marceline responded, her voice beginning to rise. "Look, I don't know what that guy did for you, and I don't really _care_. When you're out here, it's kill or _be _killed. It doesn't matter if someone helped you out, or was there for you once, or anything like that. Once you're on your own, you have to start making the tough decisions. That means not thinking twice about killing something that wants you dead. Trust me, if it's living out here, it's _not_ your friend."

It was in that moment that Marceline finally realized why Princess Bubblegum had tried so hard to get her to go on this trip. _If these two knuckleheads have any chance at all of surviving out here_, she reflected, _they need someone who knows what they're doing…someone who's done this before._ It was difficult for her to say if she was more accepting of Bonnie's coercion after this revelation, or if it just pissed her off that the princess hadn't trusted her enough to just level with her.

Leaving her thoughts on the matter momentarily, Marceline shifted her attention towards the two adventurers. Suddenly a wave of pity washed over her as they silently considered her advice.

_This place really is hell if you're trying to go it alone._

"Hey, don't let it get you down," she said in a more reassuring tone, "at the end of the day, what matters most is you're on a mission from PB. You two can't just go back on your word to protect these guys, right?"

"Yeah, you're right." Finn replied resolutely, finally shaking off his slump. "It sucks that we had to kill James but…the _real_ James wouldn't have attacked us in the first place, right?"

"I guess that's true," Jake agreed. "Sorry we were bein' such downers, Marceline."

Marceline flashed a fanged smile. "Don't worry about it. Let's just get going while there's still moonlight."

"Right!" Finn and Jake responded in unison.

The combination of a cloudless evening sky and a bright, waxing moon made for easy travel across the desert. Finn was more energetic than he had been in days, and his optimism, which always had a strange way of spreading, even had Marceline in higher spirits than she had been. The terrain was mostly flat, although that tended to be a non-issue for someone who could float, and they hadn't encountered any more creatures since the first time. For the moment, Marceline was content to assume that they had run into the last few that had managed to survive, but the hand kept close to the neck of her axe was proof her subconscious knew that was a lie.

"Yo Marcy, how long 'til we get there?" Finn asked as he trotted across the sand.

"What makes you think I know?" Marceline retorted.

"I dunno, it just seemed like you knew where we were going when Prubs showed us that map earlier."

Marceline stopped momentarily. _It had looked like it might be…_she looked at their current surroundings, possibly appearing more frantic than she had intended. To her relief, all she could see in any direction was sand.

_No, there's no way, _she thought silently.

"I don't know what gave you that impression, but I'm just as in the dark as you guys are." Marcline glanced ahead at the colony crew, which continued its noiseless march towards their unknown destination, and added, "Besides, it still looks like they know exactly where they're going."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Finn replied, and continued to walk alongside their charges.

After a few hours had passed, the group decided to stop for a meal. Finn pulled a few sandwiches out of his backpack for he and Jake, and he also tossed Marceline the bottle of ketchup she had asked him to hold. As her dinner hit her hands, though, she almost dropped it.

_I've been eating out of this for days…why is it still heavy? _She shrugged and popped the cap. The weight of the bottle wouldn't be the first thing to be a figment of her imagination in the wasteland.

"So Marceline, I've been thinking," Finn said between bites, "these monsters we fought, and those things you told us about running into with Simon that one time, are they the same?"

Sighing, Marceline looked off to the right. "Yeah, they're the same all right; it's hard to mistake them. Though," she added, "I had never seen one quite as big as the one that you managed to take down."

"Huh," Finn replied. "So do you have any idea what they are?"

_Evil, _was her immediate thought. _And not the same kind of evil as my dad. Evil that doesn't think, doesn't feel, doesn't see. Evil whose sole purpose is to continue wreaking the same kind of mindless violence that spawned it in the first place._

She looked back at Finn, who had stopped eating in anticipation of her answer. If evil was all she thought they were, she would have just told him; the kid got seriously jazzed up about "slaying evil" or whatever. But there was something else, too, a suspicion that had grown in the back of her mind while she wandered alone through the post-apocalyptic world. Marceline didn't remember much from before the Mushroom War, but she knew that there were people, _human_ people. After the bombs dropped, she always found the mutants in places where a bunch of these people were supposed to have lived.

_Evil, and probably formerly human._

Finn hadn't taken her eyes off the vampire as she considered her response. She hated to keep all this from him - he got enough of that from Bonnie – but she couldn't have him moping for days like the last time.

"I'm not really sure," she shrugged, this time staring off in the opposite direction. "They just showed up from time to time, groaning and oozing and trying to kill anything they didn't like, which was pretty much everything. All I ever needed to know was that when I saw one, I had two options: run or kill it."

"I guess that makes sense," Finn said, resuming his meal. "Did you have a name for them?"

"Mutants," she responded.

"Really?" Finn sounded incredulous this time. "I found some comic books about mutants once, and they were _definitely_ way more rad than these guys."

"I'm pretty sure those are a different kind of mutant," Marceline couldn't help but smile in spite of herself. "All right, finish up the sandwiches, guys, we've got ground to cover."

A short hike later, the faint purple line that foretold the coming of dawn was coming into view on the horizon; Marceline figured they had about an hour or so more to travel before the sun came out. She frowned. While she was certainly no stranger to wandering this wasteland, she couldn't help but wonder how long it would actually take them to reach their destination. They had been walking for days, just trusting that Bubblegum's latest freakish experiment had a good enough sense of direction to get them where they were going. The map was all but useless; almost all the physical landmarks Marceline had thought to use had long-since been eroded by time. Then again, when she had last been here, she had never really wandered towards anything in particular; maybe her sense of direction was just a bit off.

Still gazing at the horizon, Marceline came to a sudden halt as she floated into Finn's back.

"Hey, what gives?" she grunted while recovering. Looking down beside her, she saw that the six mutes had also stopped marching. Surprisingly, this time they had actually taken off their packs, and were taking out what looked like supplies for building a very large tent. _I guess they knew where they were going after all,_ she thought to herself.

"Looks like we finally made it," Marceline remarked, "though you could have at least _warned_ me before you stopped, Finn."

"Uh…Marceline?" Jake's voice drew her attention away from the candy people, "I think you ought to see this."

Scanning what was apparently their destination, Marceline immediately saw what had caused Finn to come to so abrupt a halt: Barely visible in the distance were the outlines of a line of mutants, slowly making their advance towards the group.

_It figures _this _would be the kind of place Bonnie would pick for her new digs. _The vampire hissed, and readied her fangs. _At least it won't be boring, _she thought as she continued to size up the enemy. By her guess, there were about twenty of them, and none of them appeared to be giant. She readied herself to charge, but then something else caught her eye.

"Looks like we've got company," Finn tossed his backpack on the ground as he readied his sword. "This should be a piece of cake this time, though, right Marceline?"

The vampire didn't respond. As they approached their current location, she had been too busy scanning the sky for signs of dawn to notice the sizable valley nearby. The depression in the sand revealed what lay beneath: The ruins of a city long-forgotten by all but a few. A fork in the road, a broken, twisted sign post, and a few crumbled buildings had inexplicably been preserved over the years, remaining as a testament to what had once covered the entirety of the badlands.

A chill ran up the Marceline's spine.

"Marceline?" Finn repeated, but his voice was barely audible. Marceline stood entranced, focusing all her senses on the valley beneath them; for her, time was standing still…or perhaps was being reversed. The place exuded a dark energy that seemed to wash over and separate her from the current reality.

_Wouldn't you like to get away?_

It was as if centuries of dark memories were now staring her in the face. She was alone again…lost, afraid, and powerless. There could be no doubting it now: This was the place she had thought they were going from the start, the same place that was haunting her in her nightmares. It was the place she had met Princess Bubblegum.

It was also the first place where she had seen the Lich.

**A/N: I have to confess, Marceline is by far my favorite character to write for, and I hope it showed! Feel free to leave a review if you've got the time, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed the chapter half as much as I like writing it!**


	6. Phase Transition

**A/N: I know, it's been WAY too long since I published a chapter, but the grad school monster has been working me (I also decided to beat Paper Mario again, so that didn't help). As per the usual, I really cannot express in words (ironic for a writer, I know) how much the reviews/favorites/follows mean to me; I hope you all continue to read! Anyway, here's Chapter 6! Hope you enjoy it. I still don't own Adventure Time or the characters, etc, etc, etc.**

Glass shattered against the wall with a thin crash, leaving only a chemical stain and falling shards of crystal in its wake. The sound might have been more alarming if the door hadn't been heavily insulated against sound…or if it wasn't the twelfth time this week that a flask had been thrown against the side of the room.

"No good, no good, _no good!" _Princess Bubblegum muttered to herself as she pored over her notebook. Broken glass littered the sides of the room, and half-torn pages covered most of the available writing surfaces of the laboratory. A few test tubes in the corner bubbled with a foul-smelling green liquid, and a holographic screen displayed real-time data from one of countless experiments currently being conducted. The princess herself looked no more composed than her workspace; several sleepless nights had left her exhausted, disheveled, and likely no better-smelling than the reactants in her beakers.

Collapsing back into a chair, the princess let out a frustrated sigh. Ever since she got the last report from Finn, she had been frantic. She had thought herself prepared for the worst, but never imagined that the group would run into mutants almost the minute they stepped foot into the badlands. It wouldn't be long before the monsters moved closer to civilization, and that spelled trouble for everyone.

_That's not even the worst part…_thought Princess Bubblegum as she wiped her glasses with the tattered edge of her lab coat.

The worst part, by far, was the news of James. To be fair, calling that thing James wouldn't technically be accurate, but it was still an anomaly that she had in no way anticipated. Looking back, the princess was almost embarrassed by how much the image of the corpse caught her off guard. She surmised that her surprise had certainly been visible, and was glad that Finn likely concluded that her look of shock was simply due to the revelation that James had become a mutant. While it was true that she hadn't planned to see her former servant lying there, she had hypothesized long ago that the mutants had the ability to multiply by infecting others; they were too much like a disease to rule out such a possibility. No, the thing that bothered the princess the most was the mutant's power.

_They're evolving_, she thought with a grimace.

She had studied plenty of mutants, and seen even more, but nothing about their anatomy suggested that this sort of thing was remotely possible. This was not a simple Darwinian evolution, which would have needed far more than one generation to create any sort of change, but an _ad hoc _reshaping of the mutant genome to enhance the creature's physical abilities. What had sparked the evolution she couldn't say; to her knowledge, the mutants had no natural enemies, and they didn't seem to need any real resources in order to survive. Some external factor had to be driving these creatures to develop terrifying abilities, and Princess Bubblegum didn't like to think about what might have the power to do such a thing.

Instead, the princess decided to redouble her efforts into understanding the genetics of the mutants in order to come up with something that might be effective in stopping them. Finn, Jake, and Marceline could handle one, maybe even two, of the evolved mutants by themselves, but every hour that passed made it increasingly unlikely that two would be the limit of such enemies they might face at once. It wouldn't be easy without a sample from James, but _something_ in the specimens she had already collected had to hold the key to figuring out what they were dealing with.

To that end, she immersed herself in her studies, stopping only to eat-which she did not make a habit of-or when her body collapsed from exhaustion-which happened even more infrequently. After the incident with James, she had managed to dig up samples she had kept on her for longer than she even remembered: samples from her earliest encounters with the mutants. The creatures were among the first things she had ever studied, largely due to the fact that there wasn't much else _to_ study when she started out. Still, the fact that they dripped their fluids everywhere had made it easy to collect samples without risk of an encounter, and it was analysis of the mutants that first led her to a candy formula that would neutralize the radioactive rivers.

Unfortunately, the purification formula wouldn't work so well on the mutants, themselves. While the toxic waters and the serum which the monsters leaked shared a very similar chemical makeup, the cells suspended within the serum replicated at far too rapid a rate for effective purification. The princess had concluded that such rapid cellular turnover originated as a mechanism by which the cells could survive in such hazardous conditions; if the cells underwent division at a rapid enough rate, they didn't need to survive very long. By the time an effective dose of purification agent had been delivered, the mutant cells would have degraded it, destroyed it, and replicated again.

_You'd have a much better chance at just hacking the thing with a weapon and hoping it doesn't get back up_, she thought, forcing a bitter smile. At least Finn and Marceline already knew how to do that.

Despite the fact that the nature of the cells made it difficult to devise a scheme by which they might be neutralized, it did have a scientific advantage in that it made them very robust. Typical cells could be very difficult to culture, but the mutant cells had survived largely without intervention over the centuries; all Princess Bubblegum had to do was freeze them to prevent their replication. In previous studies, the princess had been more interested in the properties of the serum itself (which had an equally good shelf life), but this time she needed a better understanding of what made the cells themselves tick.

_And after countless assays, I'm still no closer than I was 500 years ago_, she sighed. The genomic analysis was moving at a painstakingly slow rate because, quite frankly, the princess wasn't really sure where to start. Most of the physiochemical aspects of the cells were fairly easily observed with a microscope and some chemical reagents, but the genetic material was much more difficult to get at. She hypothesized that it was some sort of nucleic acid, since that was by far the most efficient mechanism for carrying genetic information, but beyond that she couldn't be sure. Without specifically knowing what kind of bases and backbones she was dealing with, the Princess couldn't do much more than isolate the material and run any tests she could think of. Research was a field built far more on failures that on successes, she knew, but this time there was very little margin for error.

Princess Bubblegum stared up at the clock hanging above her desk. The hands read half past four, but she had no idea whether it was AM or PM. Nor, for that matter, was she even sure what day it was at all. Still, the consistent click of the second hand served as a constant reminder that time was ticking away.

A short noise from her computer distracted the princess from pondering her timepiece. Expecting to see another failed experiment, Princess Bubblegum was shocked to see the words "Results Available" hover across the screen. With some hesitation, she clicked the display option, letting out a gasp as the data was displayed.

Not knowing where else to turn, the princess had begun screening the mutants' genetic material against that of all other creatures for which she had samples. In truth, she hadn't expected to find much this way; the mutants were the remnants of a world in which genetic information worked in a very different fashion that it did post-Mushroom War.

Yet, what stared her in the face was a 94% match.

As surprising as the match was, Princess Bubblegum was more interested in _what_ the genetic material matched with. "Deoxyribonucleic acid, double helix, major bases adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine," she read aloud, as if audibly repeating the results would somehow help her believe them. "This is almost exactly the same as-"

There was a knock on the door, the first sound from outside that the princess had heard in days. Peppermint Butler generally kept good on his word to only interrupt her in case of an emergency, so whatever was making him knock was likely urgent. Quickly saving the data, Princess Bubblegum walked over to the exit. Opening the door, she saw Peppermint Butler, looking incredibly uncomfortable.

"What is it, Peppermint Butler?" She asked, trying to mask her exhaustion.

"Princess, sorry to bother you," began the butler, "but there are emissaries from the Flame Kingdom here to see you. I tried to tell them you were indisposed for the time being, but they said the Flame Princess herself was demanding an immediate audience."

The princess' brow furrowed. _What is she up to_ she wondered, _and why of all times does she need to see me now?_ Regardless, it was her duty as a monarch to give audience to a fellow princess an audience when requested. Besides, now that she ruled over the Flame Kingdom, containing Flame Princess would be next to impossible if things got out of hand.

"You did well to come find me," she reassured her servant. "Tell them I will be in my throne room shortly."

Peppermint Butler gave a deep bow. "As you wish, m'lady."

As she headed to her bedroom to make herself more presentable, Princess Bubblegum considered what Flame Princess could want. No doubt the fiery ruler still bore her some ill-will regarding her imprisonment in the lamp, but if she was going to act on that it would have likely happened already. But what could be so urgent that she would demand to speak with her directly? The princess wanted to believe that it wasn't anything serious, but her instincts said otherwise; if it wasn't absolutely necessary, Flame Princess would likely do everything she could to avoid the Candy Kingdom.

_I guess I'll find out before too long_, she thought as she made her way to the throne room.

Standing in the middle of the chamber were three flame people: a messenger flanked by two flame guards. The messenger did not have any sort of parchment in his hand, but instead was holding a large candle, which he lit with the touch of a finger as Princess Bubblegum entered the room.

Once at her throne, the princess seated herself in front of her visitors. As stressed as she was, it was imperative that she appeared collected if this was to be a successful meeting; there was precious little time to waste on cleaning up political messes.

"What message do you bring from the Flame Kingdom, travelers?" the princess asked cordially.

"Your highness," the emissary stepped forward, "it is our ruler's wish to speak to you directly on this important matter."

Before Princess Bubblegum had time to question the visitor's meaning, the flame of the candle he was holding flared into a large fireball. As he set the candle on the ground, the inferno began to stabilize, and took on the shape of a face. In a matter of moments, the princesses of the Candy and Fire Kingdoms were face to face.

"Greetings, Flame Princess," said Princess Bubblegum. Her surprise at the new visitor lasted only momentarily, as she quickly recalled the fire peoples' unique ability to speak through lit flames.

"Princess Bubblegum," Flame Princess replied, with none of the warmth that the fire itself was emitting.

The curt greeting was not altogether unexpected, and Princess Bubblegum tried not to read too much into it. Hoping to maintain the upper hand in the conversation, the princess began, "Your emissaries tell me that this meeting is urgent. I'm happy to help in any way that I can, but I have to admit your visit is somewhat unexpected."

"Typical," came the response from the flame, "we've hardly begun our conversation and already you're already _lying_."

"Pardon?" Princess Bubblegum tried not to appear too taken aback.

"Don't play dumb," Flame Princess hissed, "you know why I'm here."

"Is this about what happened with your dad?" Bubblegum asked. "I did what I had to do for the sake of my kingdom. As a ruler, I had hoped you would understand that now, but it's in the past, regardless. Besides, it's not like I specifically instructed the Flame King to imprison y-"

"That's _not_ why I'm here," the princess of flame interrupted. "I'm here because of your little 'excursion' into the badlands next to _my _kingdom."

For a moment, Princess Bubblegum sat in stunned silence, her thoughts racing. _What issue could she possibly have with it _she wondered _and how in Ooo does she know about it anyway?_

Certainly, if any Flame Kingdom spies had been lurking in the badlands, Finn would have seen them and reported it. _Well, maybe not Finn, but Marceline would have noticed._ The fact that Finn was there complicated things even further…Flame Princess was unstable enough as it is, so the combination of a volatile political situation and her ex-boyfriend could lead to a disaster. She had to find out how much Flame Princess knew, without giving up her position.

Gathering her wits, she addressed her guest once more, "Who told you such nonsense? I haven't sent anyone into the badlands in weeks; even if I had, there's no treaty that prevents my people from entering them, though we would never presume to encroach on your borders."

"That is so like you," Flame Princess scowled, "pretending like following the rules justifies your actions. I know what you're _really_ after, and I know _why_ you want it."

Her frustration mounting, Princess Bubblegum was starting to feel the effects of multiple days without sleep. While she doubted that there was any way that Flame Princess had conclusive proof that the colony crew was in the badlands, she was even more confident that no one knew of her plans, save for herself, Peppermint Butler, and the group that was currently on the expedition. While the possibility of a spy was certainly possible, she fully trusted everyone involved, and had taken extreme precautions to make sure that no one else found out. Whatever ridiculous tantrum Flame Princess had currently invested herself in was endangering her mission and wasting her time, and she wasn't in the mood.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Bubblegum, her exasperation beginning to show.

"Oh really?" Flame Princess was close to shouting, and Princess Bubblegum noticed a distinct increase in the temperature of her throne room. "No idea? So I guess liquid coal doesn't ring a bell? Surely, a scientist like yourself knows what liquid coal is, and a schemer like yourself knows how you could use it against me. You haven't trusted me since I was a baby, and now that I've finally taken my place as ruler you think it's time to deal with me and my kingdom once and for all. I'm onto you, princess, and I _won't_ let you lie to me again!"

This time, Princess Bubblegum was truly at a loss for words. How and where she had gathered such a ludicrous story was entirely beyond her comprehension; it was increasingly likely that the fact that she seemed to have knowledge of the group in the badlands was nothing more than a coincidental link between reality and her bizarre tale. No matter how ridiculous the story was, though, the Flame Princess seemed to believe in it. She had to take care of this issue now before it escalated…but what could she say to calm her counterpart down?

_Liquid coal…_the princess wondered what she could be referring to. _At standard temperature and pressure, coal is a solid. If you heat it up, it usually just turns to ash, so to make it a liquid you'd need…_

Suddenly, Princess Bubblegum had her answer. It was the key to what this "liquid coal" was, and also the reason why Flame Princess was being so obstinate.

_Pressure._

Though it was not technically "liquid coal", per se, Bubblegum had no doubt that Flame Princess was referring to petroleum, formed deep within the earth's crust under intense pressure. Moreover, processed petroleum had over twice the energy density of typical coal. Why the princess of flame wanted it was not difficult to extrapolate: If the flame kingdom was so desperate for more fuel, it meant they were under a pressure of their own.

_Still, I can't let them interfere in the badlands_, she thought, _not while there's so much at stake, and certainly not while Finn is there._ As much as she would rather avoid it, she would have to lie to Flame Princess once more.

Like all convincing lies, it had to be as close to the truth as possible.

Composing herself once more, the princess of the Candy Kingdom began, "Flame Princess, I freely admit that I am aware of the existence of petroleum fuel, "liquid coal" as you call it, and its potential for supplying your kingdom. However, I was not aware that your country was in need of such an energy supply. You have my word that I have no desire to take such a resource from you, and I promise the Candy Kingdom's cooperation should you wish to make a treaty concerning the fuels possibly located in the badlands. However, I cannot recognize absolute Flame Kingdom sovereignty over the badlands, no matter how close they may be geographically located to your borders."

"So you _haven't_ sent anyone into the badlands recently?" Flame Princess asked, still apparently on her guard.

"No, I haven't, Princess." _And there's the lie_. "Nor can I advise anyone to travel there, currently, as previous expeditions indicate a high degree of danger."

Flame Princess was silent for a moment, staring at the speaker as if she was looking for the princess to betray her thoughts. Bubblegum, however, returned her stare, daring not even to reveal her fatigue. The moment of silence gave Bubblegum a slight sense of relief. If she really believed that story of hers, she wouldn't be considering what had just been said. For the time being, at least, it looked like it wouldn't come to violence.

Finally, the fiery visitor broke the silence, "For your sake, and your kingdom's, you had better be telling the truth for once." The candle extinguished itself just as suddenly as it had been lit.

With a groan, Princess Bubblegum slouched backwards as the flame emissaries left her chamber. This new development changed everything, and could not have come at a worse time. The Flame Princess seemed satisfied for now, but she would certainly not be content to sit still for very long, especially if her situation was as dire as it seemed. By the princess's calculations, the absolute best case scenario would be for a very small contingent of Flame Kingdom troops to find a satisfactory amount of fuel near the outskirts of the desert, where they were guaranteed not to run into her party. But, if a larger force were to go to the badlands, and if they were to encounter Finn, Jake, Marceline, and the candy crew…

Bubblegum looked out a window to the southeast, voicing a silent apology to her friends. While the odds were against them, they had a better chance alone against the mutants than the host of the Flame Kingdom. For now, she had to focus her attention on keeping the political situation from boiling over.

**A/N: So that's it! Quick note about the timeline: this chapter is happening concurrently with the previous chapter. I have to say, I really enjoyed getting to draw on my experience as a researcher (I'll be it ever so slightly) to write for Bubblegum! Hope you all enjoyed writing it, and I'll try to get the next chapter up faster!**


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